Never before a motion picture Rampacked with... Suspense... Terror... Sudden Shock, as The SADIST

A Human Volcano Of Unpredictable Terror!

What Fiendish Passion Twisted His Mind--Made Him Torment, Torture, Kill?

Movie Quote(s):

Opening Narration: The words of a sadist, one of the most disruptive elements in human society. To have complete mastery over another, to make him a helpless object, to humiliate him, to enslave, to inflict moral insanity upon the innocent. That is his objective, and his twisted pleasure!

Ed Stiles: Who would believe in something like this?

Charles A. 'Charlie' Tibbs: I have been hurt by others. And I will hurt them. I will make them suffer like I have suffered.

Charles A. 'Charlie' Tibbs: School's out, teacher!

Movie Trivia:

The characters of Charlie and Judy were inspired by real-life serial killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate. Although the character of Judy acts like a very young teenager (like the real 14-year-old Fugate), a radio announcer was added to clarify that Judy is 18 years old, in order to sidestep censorship problems.

This is believed to be the first feature film based on real life serial killers Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate. Mainstream Hollywood would not produce films inspired by the pair until a decade after this one. A number of films were inspired by the duo (some very loosely) and included such major examples as Terrence Malick's Badlands (1973) and Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994)

This low-budget film was noted for its excellent cinematography. It was the first American film for Vilmos Zsigmond who was working under the name William Zsigmond

Arch Hall Jr. based his performace as psycho killer Charlie Tibbs on "Tommy Udo," Richard Widmark's character in Kiss of Death (1947), right down to the giggle.

The film was rejected for UK cinema in 1963 and eventually released uncut on video in 1999.